Engaging ~ Interactive ~ Inspiring

For audiences of 19 to 1900 or even more,for ages eleven to eleventy, Joel will customize a presentation for your group that's sure to be a hit.

Youth / Students

Joel can work with you to ensure YOUR main goals and messages are being delivered. Always entertaining AND thought-provoking, you'll love the combination of juggling, magic, stories, interactive activities and even mousetraps!

What's this presentation about?

In general, Joel stopped creating titles for his youth presentations, because nobody a) remembered the title, or b) cared about remembering the title. But they DID know what they learned. So, after presentations, Joel asks audience members, "What was this presentation about?" Here are some of the answers:Leadership ConferencesBeing willing to take risks - have a goal and follow it.Leading with integrity - be the best 'me' I can be.Appreciating our power - our small daily actions matter.

School AssembliesTaking responsibility for our actions.Being willing to take risks & get involved.Being a good person - think about more than myself.Graduation / Convocation AddressesChoosing our own path - not blindly following othersUsing our own gifts to best help others & the world.Taking risks & not letting fear rule us - Life is a journey.

The Best Form of Compliment

Sometimes, students thank Joel after a presentation, saying that he made them decide to do something differently in their lives. While it's flattering, Joel always encourages the students to take credit for their own actions and decisions. Joel didn't make anyone do anything - the students decided themselves. But it's nice to know that Joel was perhaps involved in some small way. Here's a list of some of his favorite decisions students have shared with him:

Apply for a job

Quit a job

Write a letter

Hand in homework

Go to college

Travel to a new place

Forgive someone

Forgive him/herself

Insult him/herself less

Try a new food

Thank a teacher

Thank a coach

Volunteer

Start a business plan

Play with mousetraps

Play with Mousetraps. Seriously.

Don't worry mom - it's safe.Students respond well to demonstrations that catch them off guard. Joel has had thousands of students put their hands on mousetraps, proving to themselves and their peers that they have the ability to think critically, overcome fears, and take risks.

"Humour is definitely one of the best ways I've found to engage an audience, but making people laugh without delivering a message is a missed opportunity.

Character education is SO important, but it doesn't make sense to say to students, 'we're going to talk about character now' - they shut down - and so would anybody.

By engaging in stories, examples, and demonstrations that draw people in, students find lessons that are meaningful to them - they feel like they OWN the message. They're not making choices because someone tells them it's the right choice to make; they're making choices because the right choices became obvious to them."